


the bonds that we save

by fangirl_squee



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 05:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8000317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After years of adventuring, Taako reflects on what's left.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the bonds that we save

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks, as always, to maddie for looking it over, and sophie for betaing - my constant, two person cheer squad.
> 
> title from 'marching on' by one republic.

So here’s the thing that they don’t tell you about adventuring: if you’re really good at it, you survive it, and then you have to find something else to do when you get old.

 

Of course, not all adventurers make it that far, that’s the cost of doing business, and for most creatures there’s a pretty solid cap on  _ how _ old you can get. In the broader scheme of things, the cap on human lives is pretty short. For dwarves it’s a bit longer. The cap on elves … well, Taako’s still waiting to see what his particular cap is.

 

Not that he’s just hanging around waiting it out, there’s still adventuring to be done when the newbies need a hand. Their work’s not so secret now, they haven’t needed to do any real old-school covert action in years, but they still use the moon base as their headquarters. Taako’s changed rooms a few times, but he can’t quite find a reason to move down to the ground yet.

 

Besides, he’s gotten kind of used to having a view.

 

He looked out over the world below from the point at the edge of the moon base, leaning on the solid railing. The base was passing over the countryside, sweeping fields tended to by the tiny specks of hard-working farmers.  


 

Taako shielded his eyes from the afternoon sun, smiling down at them.  


 

_ Probably just chock full of rustic hospitality _ , he thought.  


 

Farmland always reminded him of Magnus, and the big, solid presence that was missing from his side. Still, they’d had a great many years of adventuring before the end, a surprisingly peaceful one given Magnus’s nature. Gently into that good night, after a day of working in his carpentry shop with Carey and Killian’s daughter (a much more skilful wood carver than her mother had been, she’d taken over doing the detail work in Magnus’s old age), and a big group meal to celebrate some returning heroes.  


 

A sad event, not just for him and for Merle, but for everyone. Taako remembered Merle, damp-eyed and laughing at the huge turnout to the funeral, the crowds spilling out of the hall into the courtyard, into the street.

 

“Rustic hospitality,” Merle had said, nudging him, an old joke between old friends.

 

Then it had just been him and Merle, for a while. Not for too long - or, no, how long  _ had _ it been, after that? Time was getting harder to keep track of nowadays.

 

Merle had been older in terms of average life length than Magus and Taako when the three had met, and he only got older. He stayed the same level of rowdy though, always the last to leave a party, always changing the music to something faster and louder, pulling someone from the edges of a crowd to the centre until  _ they  _ were the life of the party  _ too _ .

Oh, Taako supposed they’d mellowed a  _ little _ with age, and sometimes their actions were tempered a little by the Director and then, when she passed, the memory of Magnus.

 

_ Would  _ Magnus _ really steal those jewels _ , Merle would chide, and Taako would sigh and put them back (or, put  _ most  _ of them back anyway).  


 

_ I don’t think  _ Magnus _ would have said that to the bartender _ , Taako would say, and Merle would roll his eyes and go to try to smooth things over (or not get them kicked out at least).  


 

It was nice, having someone by his side whose memories could fill in the gaps in Taako’s own, finishing up the rest of a story, filling in details when Taako forgot them or (more likely) hadn’t noticed them in the first place. Dwarves lives are much longer than humans, and it had been nice to have someone there after the human companions fell away.

 

But dwarves still don’t live as long as elves, especially when they lived as rough and tumble as Merle. He had been, as ever, very chill about the whole thing. 

 

“Pan told me all about it in a dream,” Merle had said, “I got time for one more party, so let’s make this a good one.”

 

And it was - or Taako hoped it was - (at three days it had certainly gone on long enough to be) a pretty legendary party. People still talked about it sometimes, and it had been generations ago now.

 

Taako closed his eyes against the rushing of the wind. Sometimes he thought if he listened carefully, he could hear Kravitz on the wind. It wouldn’t be a battle between them this time, more like going home after a long, tiring day. It would be good to see everyone again.  


 

“Sir?”

 

A hesitant young voice broke through his thoughts. Taako looked around at eye level, and then down to see a child dressed in what looked like old-fashioned golfing clothes.

 

“What’s up my dude?” said Taako, “You’re interrupting my meditation.”

 

“Sorry sir, but my grandpa says that the stew’s almost done and he wants your opinion on it sir, if you’re not too busy that is,” said the child, tripping over their words, too eager to get them out.

 

It was a McDonald family trait, no matter how far down the line he got.  


 

Taako sighed, turning to walk back down the path. “I suppose I’d better get down there before he ruins it with his overseasoning.”

 

Relief washing comically over the child’s face. “Thank you sir.”

 

“You’re welcome…” Taako squinted down at the child in the fading afternoon light, “which one are you again?”

 

“Mika, sir!” they said brightly, “you’re teaching my sister transmutation magic at the moment, I came with her once and -”

 

Taako held up a hand. “I believe you, you don’t have to give me a whole evidence spiel.”

 

“Sorry sir,” said Mika, fiddling with their bow-tie.

 

“Well, come on Mika,” said Taako, heading down the path, “let’s go, you’re holding up the process.”

 

Mika scampered after him. Taako was hoping he’d be able to walk fast enough to get out of a conversation but speed, both in legs and words, was another McDonald trait that seemed destined to continue on in the family line for eternity.

 

“Sorry for interrupting you meditation sir,” said Mika, “I know it’s an important part of your process.”

 

Taako waved a hand. “It’s fine kid, I wasn’t really into it today, anyway. I was thinking more about where I’m going next.”

 

“Oh? I didn’t know you were headed out for a new adventure!”

 

“Not really an adventure,” said Taako, “I’ve been there before. Just thinking of going to see some old friends.”

 

Mika fidgeted with their bow-tie again. “I hope you’re not leaving too soon, sir. Only I was hoping you’d be able to teach  _ me _ some magic too. My sister says you’re the very best teacher and that she’s learning a lot, and I want to learn a lot too!”  


 

_ Those McDonalds _ , thought Taako,  _ always pestering me into hanging around _ .

  
“Don’t worry about it kid,” said Taako, “I think I’ve got time.” 

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi: mariusperkins.tumblr.com


End file.
